by Olivia Homer
March marked the fifth annual Bisexual Health Awareness Month, a campaign hosted by the Bisexual Resource Center (BRC).
In honor of the occasion, BRC has posted a variety of articles about the health disparities faced by members of the bisexual+ community and ways that non-bisexual+ people can support the community. One such article focuses on allyship and serves as a great resource for care providers, community members, and anyone who is curious about being a better ally to bisexual+ people.
BRC lists several important ways to be an ally to a bisexual+ person:
- Believe that we exist
- Accept our sexual identities without reservation
- Respect our relationships equally, whatever style we choose
- Speak out against biphobia and bi+ erasure in your everyday life
- Celebrate our bi+ culture
- Accept our choice of label, as well as the wide variety of non-monosexual labels
- Read up
- Remember that one person cannot be representative of all
Some of these are especially important in healthcare settings, such as acceptance of identities and reading more about bisexual+ communities. As providers become more aware of the disparities that bisexual+ people face, they are better able to provide better and more specific care to these patients.
You can access the BRC resource here: http://biresource.org/for-allies-3/?utm_content=buffer71f2f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
You can read more about bisexual+ health disparities in the Movement Advancement Project’s 2016 report here: http://www.lgbtmap.org/policy-and-issue-analysis/invisible-majority
